Assistant Finance Controller — US Biopharma Client

Buying Simplified · Remote, India (Bengaluru or Chennai preferred) · US-hours overlap · Full-time
About Buying Simplified
Buying Simplified is a specialist finance and procurement operations firm serving US life-sciences companies. Our teams in India and the US run record-to-report, accounts payable, procurement and spend analytics for biotech and pharma clients, and our GenieWorks.ai platform brings AI into those workflows. We don't do back-office staffing; we embed people who become trusted members of our clients' finance leadership.
The client and why this role matters
You will be embedded with a fast-growing, US-headquartered pharmaceutical company with its own commercial manufacturing in the US, a growing generics franchise, and R&D operations in China. The company is scaling quickly and holding itself to public-company standards of close, reporting and control.
That creates a finance environment that is genuinely interesting:
Multi-entity, multi-currency: US and China entities (plus a UK subsidiary), with intercompany flows, eliminations and USD/CNY revaluation and translation.
Manufacturing and R&D in one P&L: inventory and production costing alongside R&D and clinical accruals, licensing arrangements and milestone-driven activity.
Controls maturity: SOX-style controls, segregation of duties and audit readiness are being built and evidenced now, not inherited.
Modern stack: SAP S/4HANA Finance and SAP Concur.
This is not a back-office seat. You will be the finance voice the client's leadership team hears from every month.
The role in one line
Own the month-end story for the client's leadership: close it, control it, explain it, and make it better every cycle — while leading a small team of GL analysts.
What you will doLeadership partnership and communication (the heart of the role)
Act as the primary finance point of contact for the client's leadership team on close, reporting and controls.
Present monthly results, flux analysis and key risks in leadership calls with clear, concise commentary.
Translate accounting detail into business insight leadership can act on — what moved, why, and what it means.
Join regular US-hours meetings with the Finance Senior Manager, Treasury and the Controller, and own follow-ups through to closure.
Escalate early, always with options and a recommendation — not just the problem.
Write client-ready emails, close memos and status updates that need no rework.
Question assumptions and push back respectfully when numbers or processes don't hold up.
Close, reporting and analysis
Lead month-end and year-end close activities across entities.
Prepare monthly management reporting packs: P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and KPIs.
Partner with the client's FP&A team on budget, forecast and actual-vs-budget analysis.
Deliver ad hoc analysis for the Finance Senior Manager and Treasury.
Multi-entity accounting
Manage intercompany billing, matching, reconciliation and eliminations between US and China entities.
Handle foreign currency revaluation and translation across USD, CNY and other currencies.
Controls, audit and governance
Operate and evidence key financial controls (SOX-style), segregation of duties and approval workflows.
Coordinate external audit and tax requests; prepare PBC schedules and audit support.
Review AP/P2P outputs for accounting accuracy, including payment runs, virtual card (VCC) payments and vendor master changes.
Support entity-level governance and compliance documentation as the company matures toward public-company standards.
Team leadership and improvement
Lead, review and coach GL analysts; allocate work and track SLAs and KPIs.
Drive process improvement, automation and SOP documentation across the record-to-report cycle.
Bring ideas for where AI and automation can take manual effort out of close and reconciliation.
Who you areMust have
Chartered Accountant (CA) — qualified, with a strong academic record.
6–10 years of post-qualification experience in record-to-report, controllership or financial reporting, with at least 2 years leading or reviewing others' work.
Hands-on US GAAP close and reporting experience, ideally for US-headquartered companies.
Multi-entity experience: intercompany, consolidation, eliminations and FX revaluation/translation.
Controls and audit: SOX or SOX-style controls, PBC preparation and working directly with external auditors.
Executive-grade communication: polished, confident and articulate with senior US finance and business leaders. You can present a flux in five minutes and handle the follow-up questions without notes.
Analytical bent: you look at a trial balance and see the story, the risk and the question to ask.
Comfortable working regular US-hours overlap (Eastern Time).
Strongly preferred
Preferred also Company Secretary (CS) in addition to CA — the CA + CS combination is what we are really looking for, bringing governance, entity compliance and board-level documentation discipline alongside accounting depth.
Big 4 audit or advisory background, followed by in-house or client-facing controllership.
SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO) as a power user; SAP Concur exposure.
Life sciences, pharma or manufacturing accounting: inventory and standard costing, R&D and clinical accruals, licensing and milestone revenue.
Exposure to China entity accounting or US–China intercompany.
IPO-readiness, PE-backed or high-growth company experience.
Advanced Excel; Power BI or similar reporting tools.
How you work
You consult, not just execute — you ask the question behind the request.
You take ownership of outcomes and close the loop without being chased.
You are at ease directing a conversation with a US client, and equally at ease coaching an analyst through a reconciliation.
You hold a high bar for accuracy and presentation; nothing leaves your desk half-finished.
Location and working model
Remote within India, with a preference for candidates based in Bengaluru or Chennai.
Chennai-based candidates work with our Chennai team in person as needed.
Candidates outside Chennai travel to our Chennai office for one week every two months, at company expense, to stay connected with the delivery team.
Regular overlap with US Eastern Time for client meetings.
What we offer
A visible, leadership-facing role with a growing US pharma company — real exposure to the CFO organisation, not a ticket queue.
Clear growth path into client controllership and account leadership within Buying Simplified.
Work alongside our GenieWorks.ai team as we bring AI into finance operations.
Competitive compensation, company-paid health insurance for self (family can be added through the company plan) and company-paid life insurance.
How to apply
Send your CV to hiring@buyingsimplified.com with the subject line Assistant Finance Controller — US Biopharma, and include a short note (150 words or less) on the most complex month-end or audit issue you explained to a senior leader, and what you recommended.

Work arrangement
Yes